STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 37 



The Selection of the Soil. 



"The two primary or essential conditions are — Ist^a deep soil, 

 and 2d, a dry soil. If either of these conditions are wanting, all 

 attempts at fruit culture will prove comparatively unavailing'. It 

 is useless to attempt to raise an apple orchard in a clay or " hard- 

 pan " bed, with the soil, as is often the case, but four or five inches 

 deep. The trees in such cases will exhibit a stunted and un- 

 healthy appearance, will be unproductive and yield at last to 

 premature decay, if not to some sudden gust of wind. 



The ground should descend moderately to the east or south, or 

 still better to the southeast, and should be sheltered, if convenient, 

 from the east wind either by being located west of a wood-lot or 

 by planting a row of fast growing forest trees upon the east side. 

 Small stones interspersed through the soil will prove beneficial 

 rather than an objection, especially in a cold latitude. Avoid the 

 extremes of sandy, also heavy soil. The wet places, if any, may 

 be removed by underdrainiug The orchard should not be planted 

 in some deep, narrow valley exposed to the frost, where the sua 

 rises late in the morning and sets early in the evening ; neither 

 upon the summit of some high hill, exposed to the wind from 

 every quarter, but select as best of all, a deep, dry, hard-wood 

 soil, sloping to the east or south, at a moderate elevation, with 

 little exposure to the east wind, and plenty of sunshine. 



Preparation of the Soil. 



Enrich the soil or ground (green sward) for the proposed 

 orchard, by applying fifty loads of barnyard manure per acre, 

 composting in the formation of the roots of the young trees. 

 Plow shallow and with care. Plant to corn, applj'ing to every 

 three hills a handful of a preparation composed of four parts ashes, 

 two of plaster, one of lime and one of salt. Cultivate thoitjughly 

 at least four times during the season, using the hoe to cut down 

 what weeds and grass may appear. The succeeding spring plow 

 from eight to twelve inches in depth. Before dragging, draw oft' at 

 least the larger stones and plant potatoes ; also plant the trees. 

 The third year draw off the stones early in. the spring, just after 

 the disappearance of the snow. Give a liberal top-dressing of the 

 preparation of ashes, plaster, lime and salt above described. Use 

 a sharp toothed drag and bush thoroughly, and the garden rake 

 when necessary. Sow oats or wheat, and seed down with a mix- 

 ture of four parts of timothy and eight of large clover per acre, 

 but sow no grain nor grass-seed nearer than five feet to the trees ; 

 and stir the soil about the ti'ees four or five times during the 

 season. 



Selection of Varieties. 



Order the trees direct from the nursery, the smaller trees in 

 preference to the larger ones, or those from five to seven feet in 

 height. Do not select too many varieties. This a very common 

 error, especially with the young orchardist. For a market or- 

 chard, depending on the size, select from two to eight varieties of 



